Abstract [en]

Over the last decade, there has been noticeable rise in popularity of all-inclusive holidays. This growth has coincided with the propensity in many destinations to develop tourism enclaves, which can either be purpose-built gated resorts physically isolated from their surrounding community or appear in the form of cruises, which have emerged as a particularly popular form of travel. In this explorative paper, we focus on the marketing of all-inclusive holidays, specifically those occurring in enclaves (including cruise-ships). We investigate to what extent the geographic location of the tourist enclave is an important consideration for the travel industry. In other words, when it comes to all-inclusive holiday products, do the place-based attributes on offer at the destination and the actual location of the holiday matter from the perspective of those who are creating and selling the travel packet? An explorative study of Scandinavian tour operators shows that the local settingof the holiday is in fact a secondary consideration compared to the services and facilities on offer. Thus, there is an overriding tendency to downplay the destination’s place-based attributes and it does not seem so important where the all-inclusive resort is located as long as it is well connected to the market and promises a comfortable holiday to the consumer. Tourism enclaves in the context of placelessness are discussed.